1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to traffic barricades and more particularly pertains to a new reflective traffic barrricade for allowing vehicle drivers easier viewing of forward traffic by use of the reflective sides of the traffic barricade.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of traffic barricades is known in the prior art. More specifically, traffic barricades heretofore devised and utilized are known to consist basically of familiar, expected and obvious structural configurations, notwithstanding the myriad of designs encompassed by the crowded prior art which have been developed for the fulfillment of countless objectives and requirements.
Known prior art includes U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,978,207; 5,599,132; 4,770,495; 5,641,214; 5,685,665; Des. 341,098; and 5,938,370.
In particular, the prior art teaches many traffic barriers that are intended to be highly visible to drivers, and thus include many retroreflective surfaces that serve only to reflect light back to its source, so that light emitted from the lights of a vehicle are directed back toward the vehicle from which the light originated, and the operator in the originating vehicle, for the purpose of indicating to the operator the presence of the traffic barrier without necessarily giving any indication to the operator of the presence (or absence) of other vehicles on the road in the vicinity of the traffic barrier or the vehicle.
In these respects, the reflective traffic barrricade according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in so doing provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of allowing vehicle drivers easier viewing of forward traffic by use of the reflective sides of the traffic barricade.
In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types of traffic barricades now present in the prior art, the present invention provides a new reflective traffic barrricade construction wherein the same can be utilized for allowing vehicle drivers easier viewing of forward traffic by use of the reflective sides of the traffic barricade.
The general purpose of the present invention, which will be described subsequently in greater detail, is to provide a new reflective traffic barrricade apparatus and method which has many of the advantages of the traffic barricades mentioned heretofore and many novel features that result in a new reflective traffic barrricade which is not anticipated, rendered obvious, suggested, or even implied by any of the prior art traffic barricades, either alone or in any combination thereof.
To attain this, the present invention generally comprises a traffic barrier with a front surface, a substrate on the traffic barrier positioned adjacent to the front surface of the traffic barrier, and a reflective surface on the substrate for reflecting incident light in a substantially specular manner and being substantially incapable of reflecting incident light in a retroreflective manner. Optionally, the traffic barrier may comprise a traffic panel that may be placed on or over conventional concrete barriers or guardrails or may be used alone.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.
As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
Further, the purpose of the foregoing abstract is to enable the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the public generally, and especially the scientists, engineers and practitioners in the art who are not familiar with patent or legal terms or phraseology, to determine quickly from a cursory inspection the nature and essence of the technical disclosure of the application. The abstract is neither intended to define the invention of the application, which is measured by the claims, nor is it intended to be limiting as to the scope of the invention in any way.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a new reflective traffic barrricade apparatus and method which has many of the advantages of the traffic barricades mentioned heretofore and many novel features that result in a new reflective traffic barrricade which is not anticipated, rendered obvious, suggested, or even implied by any of the prior art traffic barricades, either alone or in any combination thereof.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a new reflective traffic barrricade which may be easily and efficiently manufactured and marketed.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a new reflective traffic barrricade which is of a durable and reliable construction.
An even further object of the present invention is to provide a new reflective traffic barrricade which is susceptible of a low cost of manufacture with regard to both materials and labor, and which accordingly is then susceptible of low prices of sale to the consuming public, thereby making such reflective traffic barrricade economically available to the buying public.
Still yet another object of the present invention is to provide a new reflective traffic barrricade which provides in the apparatuses and methods of the prior art some of the advantages thereof, while simultaneously overcoming some of the disadvantages normally associated therewith.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a new reflective traffic barrricade for allowing vehicle drivers easier viewing of forward traffic by use of the reflective sides of the traffic barricade.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a new reflective traffic guidance system which includes a traffic barrier with a front surface, a substrate on the traffic barrier positioned adjacent to the front surface of the traffic barrier, and a reflective surface on the substrate for reflecting incident light in a substantially specular manner and being substantially incapable of reflecting incident light in a retroreflective manner. Optionally, the traffic barrier may comprise a traffic panel that may be placed on or over conventional concrete barriers or guardrails or may be used alone.
Still yet another object of the present invention is to provide a new reflective traffic barrricade that allows a person to see on coming or forward traffic by using the reflective barrier itself.
These together with other objects of the invention, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the invention, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and the specific objects attained by its uses, reference should be made to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which there are illustrated preferred embodiments of the invention.